KYTRAD's a winner!

Subject: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:08 AM

just announced yesterday,

National Endowment For The Arts Announces 2002 National Heritage Fellowship Recipients

Fifteen Artists to Receive Nation's Highest Honor in the Folk and Traditional Arts

June 6, 2002

Washington, D.C. - The National Endowment for the Arts today announced the 2002 recipients of the National Heritage Fellowships, the country's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Thirteen fellowships, which include a one-time award of $10,000 each, will be presented to honorees from 13 states and jurisdictions. Two of the awards will be shared by collaborative partners. Fourteen awardees were chosen for their artistic excellence, authenticity and contributions to their field. One was selected to receive the Bess Lomax Hawes award for service to the folk and traditional arts field as a whole.

"We are fortunate to live in a country in which such a variety of cultural traditions can flourish side by side," said Eileen B. Mason, Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. "We owe a great debt to each of these talented individuals, not only for their lifetime of artistic achievement, but also for all they have done to preserve and to pass on their skills so that future generations can appreciate and enjoy these traditions."

The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in September. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store of Lebanon, Tennessee will underwrite the costs of the ceremony and related activities.

2002 National Heritage Fellowship Recipients

Ralph Blizard, Old-time fiddler (Blountville, Tenn.) Loren Bommelyn, Tolowa tradition bearer (Crescent City, Calif.) Kevin Burke, Irish fiddler (Portland, Ore.) Rose Cree/Francis Cree, Ojibwe basketmakers/storytellers (Dunseith, N.D.) Luderin Darbone/Edwin Duhon, Cajun fiddler and accordionist (Sulphur, La./Westlake, La.) Nadim Dlaikan, Lebanese nye (reed flute) player (Southgate, Mich.) David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Blues guitarist/singer (Chicago, Ill.) Flory Jagoda, Sephardic musician/composer (Falls Church, Va.) Clara Neptune Keezer, Passamaquoddy basketmaker (Perry, Maine) Bob McQuillen, Contra dance musician/composer (Peterborough, N.H.) Domingo "Mingo" Saldivar, Conjunto accordionist (San Antonio, Texas) Losang Samten, Tibetan sand mandala painter (Philadelphia, Pa.) Jean Ritchie, Appalachian musician/songwriter (Port Washington, N.Y. & Viper, Ky.)

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: SINSULL
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:12 AM

Congratulations!

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:23 AM

WOW!! Congratulations!

Thanks, Bill.

kat

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:25 AM

Oh, Jeannie, that is WUNNERFUL!!! Congratulations and well deserved!! Wild screams of Mudcat applause!

A

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: catspaw49
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:27 AM

And a large round again......Congratulations Jean. As always, a well deserved honor.

Spaw

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:41 AM

this further from the NEA website (& a lovely photo!)

2002 National Heritage Fellowships

JEAN RITCHIE Appalachian musician/songwriter, Port Washington, NY & Viper, KY

Jean Ritchie, the recipient of the Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship, is a significant musician and songwriter, as well as a cultural activist and chronicler of her home region. She was born into a singing family in Viper, Kentucky, in the Cumberland Mountains of the eastern part of the state. The youngest of 14 children, she studied at Viper High School and Cumberland College, before going on to the University of Kentucky where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in social work. Her first job was with the Henry Street Settlement on New York's Lower East Side, where she taught Kentucky songs, ballads, and singing games to children. During this time, Alan Lomax encountered her, recorded her songs and lap dulcimer playing for the Library of Congress, and arranged her first formal concert at Columbia University. By 1952, she was traveling on a Fulbright Fellowship to trace and document the roots of her heritage in the British Isles. In 1955, her first book, Singing Family of the Cumberlands, was hailed as an American classic. Her many recordings and appearances at major folk festivals, including the early Newport Folk Festivals, cultivated a revival of interest in Appalachian music and culture. She also became known as an insightful songwriter, penning such classics as Blue Diamond Mines, Black Waters, and The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore, about life in eastern Kentucky coal country. By sharing her music as well as her commitment and strong ties to her Appalachian home with audiences around the nation and around the world, Jean Ritchie has come to define and embody the dual concepts of ambassador and steward of tradition.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: IvanB
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:42 AM

Jean, had I ever needed any affirmation of my admiration for your life and work, this would certainly be it. Hearty congratulations! I can't think of a more deserving recipient.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: CapriUni
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:52 AM

Yippee! Yippee! Yippee! Yippee! Yippee!

"Wonderful, Wonderful! And most wonderful, wonderful! And yet again: Wonderful! And after that, out of all whooping!" -- W. Shakespeare

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:55 AM

CONGRATULATIONS!

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: John Hardly
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 09:58 AM

as long as you're talking about her, you may as well go listen to her

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: georgeward
Date: 08 Jun 02 - 12:18 AM

Just bloomin' lovely! Congratulations, Jean.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Mudlark
Date: 08 Jun 02 - 02:16 AM

You GO, girl!!! Congratulations!!!

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Banjer
Date: 08 Jun 02 - 06:17 AM

I've always know our Jean was a winner among winners! This award is long overdue. Jean has been an inspiration to me for some time. Read her book, it is a very interesting and well written piece. Congratulations, and thanks Jean for all you've done for so many!

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 08 Jun 02 - 07:15 AM

Congrats, Jean!! (and my own Bob MacQuillen- great news!).
Bill, could you post us the web site where you got the description (so we could see the lovely photo, too?)

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 08 Jun 02 - 11:29 AM

Animaterra et. al. the links in the NEA National Fellowship Award thread, thanks to Catspaw, I'm still learning how to create active links, sorry.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 08 Jun 02 - 11:53 AM

sorry, direct link is in other thread, here is the address though, to cut and paste

http://arts.endow.gov/endownews/news02/Heritage2002.html

scroll down and click on Jean for picture etc.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Banjer
Date: 08 Jun 02 - 01:39 PM

Click here to go to above address!

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST,Nerd
Date: 11 Jun 02 - 02:42 PM

GREAT news! I'd say it's long overdue, but that might have implications of age that I don't intend :-)

Seriously, she's in great company with Kevin, Quack, The Hackberrys, Ralph Blizard, Flory Jagoda, Honeyboy, Mingo et al. Richly deserved!

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Rex
Date: 12 Jun 02 - 12:46 PM

That's sure enough great news. Congrats to Jean. We all know how wonderful she is and what she has done for traditional music but it's great to see that folks in general know about it.

Rex

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: KathWestra
Date: 12 Jun 02 - 04:23 PM

What wonderful news, Jean. A well-deserved honor for a true folk heroine. Many joyful hugs all around for you and George and the family. I almost made it to your KY Hall of Fame installation, but business trips intervened. You can bet, though, that I'll be cheering wildly (as will a goodly delegation of your DC friends) at the concert in DC in September -- it's always the most inspiring folk event of the year, and a FREE concert, to boot! Love to you, Kathy

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST,Just Amy
Date: 12 Jun 02 - 04:33 PM

Any 'catters can see her next weekend (June 21-23) at the Summer Solstice Folk Music, Dance and Storytelling Festival in Los Angeles county (Calabasas).

www.ctmsfolkmusic.org

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 09:04 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 18 Jun 02 - 06:05 PM

Thanks, folks... I have been too stunned to write about this, ever since the first phone call from Barry Bergey some weeks ago. He asked me not to speak of it until press-release time, but since I found it such a shock, I'm STILL not talking much about it. But you're all becoming good friends, and as you know you're all welcome to the "Party" on September 20th. Don't know just where, or any more of the details yet, but I understand it's open to all, "a free concert," as Kathy says. Hotels are expensive, but maybe the Greater Washington Folksong people will make room for sleeping bags in their back gardens? Thank you all for your good wishes and congrats. Personally, I think I'm getting attention this year because everyone thinks I'm gettin on in years, and might start "shufflin off the mortal coil" any minute! Love to all, Jean

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Jun 02 - 06:32 PM

You wouldn't dare!!!

I'm sure this "party" will be a grand success and again Jean, this is an honor so well deserved......you might say it's "Ritchiely Deserved."

BTW, I had plans to surprise you with a question about "The World Is Old" from the audience when you were in Nelsonville, Ohio the first of June.....That's only about 35 miles from me. But I wound up having to be 250 miles away on short notice....in Kentucky, oddly enough! Sure am sorry I missed you here!

Spaw

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: KathWestra
Date: 19 Jun 02 - 01:27 PM

Gee, maybe we could make a weekend of it. Jean's award on Friday night the 20th, music-making all day Saturday, and the Folklore Society's program (Nick Apollonio & Kristen Tescher from Maine) on Saturday the 21st. I don't know exactly when tickets for the National Heritage Fellowship evening become available, but will try to post info. on how to get tickets in a new thread when I find out. The ticket distribution is generally handled by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) -- the folks who run the National Folk Festival (for three years beginning this year in Bangor, ME on Aug. 23-25).

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST,Walking eagle
Date: 20 Jun 02 - 08:19 PM

A big Yeeeee Hawwwww, for Rose, Clara, Francis, and Jean!

W.E.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 21 Jun 02 - 06:54 AM

Congratulations, Jean, a richly deserved award and one long due.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Big Mick
Date: 21 Jun 02 - 08:57 AM

Congrats to you, dear Jean. I just love seeing you get these awards. Folks like you never realize how you have influenced so many of us. I have always looked at awards, especially such prestigious awards as this, as all of us trying to convince someone with a heart like yours how much you have meant to us in our travels. Well done to you, and well deserved.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Fortunato
Date: 21 Jun 02 - 10:44 AM

Congratulations, Jean. A well-deserved recognition. If permitted I would love to come and see you receive the award and shake your hand. I'm here in the DC area and would be happy to provide any assistance you might need on that weekend. You have only to ask. Wonderful news.

Chance Shiver

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Fortunato
Date: 21 Jun 02 - 10:56 AM

Oh, Jean, of course if you need lodging for you or your family or friends PM me. Chance

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Fortunato
Date: 05 Aug 02 - 11:31 AM

The celebration is getting closer. Any details for Friday 9/20 yet?

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST,karen k
Date: 06 Aug 02 - 01:39 AM

Jean, Can't believe I missed this the first time around. Congratulations! This is certainly a very well deserved award. My best to you.
karen kobela

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 06 Aug 02 - 10:28 PM

Fortunato- All details seem to be set for us except the time/location for the actual Awards ceremonies. On my schedule listing (sent to awardees), it still says, Awards Presentations, September 18, morning or afternoon; location tba. I guess we'll find out, when we're picked up at the hotel and taken there! Kath- do you know anything about this, and why the secrecy? The 19th is when we rehearse for the concert, have sound checks, etc. and some open time for visiting, sightseeing, etc. Evening of the 20th is the Concert by all awardees at Lisner Auditorium on the G. Washington U. campus. And that's it. I'm hoping many friends will come, as my actual family has grown very small. My brother Wilmer is the only sibling left. George, and sons Pete(with Amy) and Jon will be with us of course, and the 'boys' will accompany me at the concert. So glad they'll be there to hold me up!

Spaw! I'd have been grieving since the Hockhocking Festival if I had known you'd planned to be there, and then couldn't make it. But I have a feeling that we shall meet vis-a-vis sometime soon- we both just have to hang in there! Love to all, and thanks for your good thoughts, Jean

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: GUEST,fretless, at work
Date: 07 Aug 02 - 10:04 AM

KYTRAD,

It's likely that details of the award presentation are TBA because (a) it is summer in Washington and too hot for folks to make plans for events that are six weeks away, (b) the National Endowment for the Arts remains without a permanent chairman or even a chairman nominee following the sudden death of chairman Livingston Biddle, Jr. last spring, and (c) any planning energies that exist are probably going into the not-yet-announced commemorations of September 11th, which will be extensive especially in Washington and New York.

The Lisner Auditorium often fills up for the NEA heritage award event, and friends who hope to attend should try to get tickets in advance. When I get information on how to do that, I'll post it to this thread or (as Kath suggests above) start a new one.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Fortunato
Date: 07 Aug 02 - 10:12 AM

Jean, is the public invited to the presentation of awards as well as your concert? Should we be obtaining tickets for either?

Susette and I will most certainly come to both if permited. It'll be a grand week. Our friend Jerry Rasmussen is coming down to play our show and do a house concert the weekend before (with his lovely wife) and then your celebration. Can't wait to shake your hand. best regards.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Fortunato
Date: 07 Aug 02 - 10:22 AM

Here's the scoop I got from the NEA office just now. The public cannot attend the awards ceremony, but we can go to the concert. Those wishing to attend the concert should call 202-682-5428 in early September to obtain tickets. There is no charge, but it's first come first served. cheers.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 07 Aug 02 - 03:20 PM

Thanks for calling NEA, Fortunato- now why didn't I think of doing that? I'm also surprised to learn that the public cannot attend the awards presentations- I had thought that was open. Good to know about the need for concert tickets, also... I'll tell my faraway friends.

Subject: RE: KYTRAD's a winner!
From: Fortunato
Date: 08 Aug 02 - 11:14 AM

The person at the NEA said the awards ceremony was to be held in the Capital and apparently that restricted the number of guests, but perhaps you as a recipient have some number you can invite? You could ask. Anyway I live here in the DC area and it's easy to connect with these places. cheers, Chance

Subject: KYTRAD & OBRAND in NYC!
From: Suffet
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 06:46 PM

Here's your chance to hear Mudcat's very own KYTRAD, along with her long time friend OBRAND, in NYC!

New York Pinewoods Folk Music Club proudly presents

JEAN RITCHIE & OSCAR BRAND
in concert
Friday • November 8, 2002 • 8:00 PM
Advent Lutheran Church
Broadway & West 93rd Street
New York City

General admission: $18.
CD*NY members: $15.
Seniors or students: $10.
Children: $6.
NY Pinewoods members: free!

For information, please call Evy Mayer at [phone] after 11:00 AM.

NY Pinewoods website!